Page 28 of Saving Little Clark

"Ugh, vegetables," Alex whined, wrinkling his nose in disgust. "Those are yucky, Daddy. Dinos don't eat yucky veggies."

"Actually, some dinosaurs were herbivores," I pointed out, unable to resist the urge to educate. "Like the brachiosaurus and the stegosaurus.”

"Nerd," Brody coughed into his fist, earning a glare from me and a giggle from Alex.

"Oh, like you're one to talk, Mr. I-Have-A-Signed-Copy-Of-Jurassic-Park-On-My-Bookshelf," I retorted.

"Ooh, Uncle Brody's in trouble!" Alex sing-songed, clapping his hands together gleefully. "Clark's gonna make him sleep on the couch tonight."

"Hey now," Brody said hastily, shooting me a pleading look. "No need to bring out the big guns like couch exile, right?"

"I don't know," I mused, drawing out the words teasingly. "It might take more than just a simple apology to earn my forgiveness."

"More, you say?" Brody purred, his eyes darkening with heat as he took a step closer to me. "A foot rub, perhaps? A serenade beneath your window? Or maybe a kiss, to prove the depths of my devotion and regret?"

I bit my lip, fighting back a shiver of anticipation at the promise in his words. "I look forward to it," I murmured, holding his gaze for a long, heated moment.

And with that, I clapped my hands together. "Alright, dino crew!" I announced, putting on my best rallying voice. "Will, you're on snack duty. Raid the kitchen and gather whatever supplies you think we'll need for the journey ahead."

Will saluted me, a glint of amusement in his eye. "Sir, yes sir," he barked, marching off towards the fridge with exaggerated solemnity.

"What about me?" Alex asked, bouncing on his toes eagerly. "What's my job?"

"We'll need someone to be our lookout, to keep an eye out for any approaching predators or rival dino gangs. Think you can handle that, little raptor?"

Alex puffed out his chest, nodding. "I can handle anything," he declared, striking a heroic pose. "No dino is gonna get past these eagle eyes, no sir."

I chuckled. "Now, why don't you go get your binoculars and your explorer hat? We'll need to be properly equipped if we're going to survive the wilds of the living room."

Alex let out a whoop of excitement and scampered off towards my bedroom.

"What about you?" I asked, turning to Brody with a playful grin.

Brody smirked, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back against the wall. "Isn't it obvious?" he drawled. "I'm the dashing rogue, the charming scoundrel who keeps things interesting and adds a little spice to the mix."

I snorted. "More like the cocky bastard who's gonna get us all killed with his reckless stunts and bad puns. Just try not to get eaten by any T-Rexes, yeah? I'd hate to have to break in a new scoundrel after I've just gotten used to your particular brand of nonsense."

Brody clutched at his heart, a look of exaggerated offense on his face. "Break in a new scoundrel? You wound me! I thought what we had was special, a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing. I can't believe you'd even consider replacing me with some newer, flashier model."

"Don't worry," I murmured, reaching out to loop my arms around his neck and draw him close. "You're one of a kind.I could search the whole wide world and never find another scoundrel quite like you."

Brody's eyes softened. "That so?" he whispered, his breath ghosting over my lips in a way that made me shiver and sigh.

I leaned in until our foreheads touched, until I could feel the heat of him seeping into my skin like sunlight. "You're stuck with me, I'm afraid. For better or worse, in dino attacks and juice box famines."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Brody murmured, and then he was kissing me, soft and sweet and achingly perfect, his hands coming up to cup my face.

I melted into him, into the warm, solid strength of his body against mine, the gentle pressure of his lips moving over my own.

Soon, as our grand dino adventure drew to a close, I couldn't help but marvel at the sheer joy and chaos of it all. We battled fierce T-Rexes and wily velociraptors, braved treacherous pillow pits and Lego landmines, and emerged victorious with our snacks and sanity mostly intact.

When Will announced that he had to run out for a quick errand and asked if we could keep an eye on Alex for an hour or so, I didn't hesitate to agree. And neither, to my surprise and delight, did Brody.

"Of course, man," he said easily, waving off Will's thanks with a grin. "We'll be fine, won't we, champ?"

He ruffled Alex's hair affectionately, earning a giggle and a playful swat from the happy boy sprawled out on the carpet.

"Yeah, Daddy!" Alex chirped, beaming up at Will with adoring eyes. "Uncle Brody and Clark will take good care of me.”

---